Plan file
<operating system> On
Unix systems that support
finger, the ".plan" file in a user's home directory is displayed when the user is fingered.
This feature was originally intended to be used to keep potential fingerers apprised of one's location and near-future plans, but has been turned almost universally to humorous and self-expressive purposes (like a
sig block).
See also
Hacking X for Y.
A later innovation in plan files was the introduction of "scrolling plan files" which are one-dimensional animations made using only the printable
ASCII character set,
carriage return and
line feed, avoiding terminal specific escape sequences, since the
finger command will (for security reasons; see
letterbomb) not pass the
escape character.
Scrolling .plan files have become art forms in miniature, and some sites have started competitions to find who can create the longest running, funniest, and most original animations. A compiler (ASP) is available on
Usenet for producing them. Typical animation components include:
Centipede: mmmmme Lorry/Truck: oo-oP Andalusian Video Snail: _@/
In the mid-1990s
WWW home pages largely supplanted .plan files, providing a much richer forum for the publication of personal minutiae and digital creativity.
See also
twirling baton.
[
Jargon File]
